Anakalypsis / Unveiling the Word
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⚙ Annotations & References ▾
Passage sections 1 ▾
Jonah and the Great Fish narrative 1:1–2:10
People 2 ▾
Jonah Divided Monarchy 1, 3, 5, 7, 15, 17 Tarshish Primeval 3
Places 4 ▾
Gath-hepher Zebulun 1 Nineveh Assyria 2 Joppa Judea 3 Tarshish Western Mediterranean 3
Symbols 1 ▾
Fish animal 17
Speakers 2 ▾
God divine 1 Jonah human 2-17
Prophecies 2 ▾
Raised on the Third Day 17 The Sign of Jonah 17
Typology 3 ▾
Jonah → Christ 17 Jonah as type of Christ 17 Jonah Three Days in the Fish 17
Miracles 1 ▾
Jonah and the Great Fish 17
Historic voices 9 ▾
Antiquities of the Jews 1× 1, 17 Catechism of the Catholic Church 1× 3 Homilies on the First Epistle to the Corinthians 1× 3 Against Heresies (Adversus Haereses) 1× 9 Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible 1× 1-9, 11-14, 16-17 John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible 1× 1-17 Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament 1× 1, 3-4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary 1× 1, 4, 11 Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary 1× 2-17
Manuscript witnesses 5 ▾
Codex Sinaiticus Aleph c. AD 330-360 Codex Vaticanus B c. AD 300-325 Codex Alexandrinus A c. AD 400-440 Aleppo Codex (Crown of Aleppo) c. AD 930 Leningrad Codex (Codex Leningradensis) AD 1008
Cross-references 127 ▾
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What is Jonah 1 about?

Called by the LORD, around 760 BC, to cry against Nineveh, the great city of Assyria whose wickedness had risen up before Him, the prophet Jonah son of Amittai instead rose to flee toward Tarshish, going down to Joppa and boarding a ship to escape the presence of the LORD. God answered by hurling a great wind upon the sea, and as the pagan sailors cried each to his own god and cast their cargo overboard, Jonah lay asleep in the hold until the lot exposed him as the cause of the tempest. Confessing himself a Hebrew who feared the LORD, the God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land, he bade the mariners cast him into the waters, and when they at last did so the sea grew calm, and the men feared the LORD and offered sacrifice. God then appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, preserving him three days and three nights in its belly. From its opening scene the account sets the LORD's inescapable rule and His concern for the nations against the narrow, disobedient heart of His own prophet.

Historical backdrop

Jonah son of Amittai prophesied in the days of Jeroboam II, when Assyria was passing through a spell of weakness and Nineveh, on the east bank of the Tigris, was already an ancient and fearsome city though not yet the empire's capital. To the west lay the open Mediterranean and the Phoenician sea lanes that ran all the way to Tarshish at the far edge of the known world, and from the port of Joppa a man could buy passage on a cargo ship bound that way. East stood the Assyrian metropolis whose armies would within a generation begin to devour Israel itself.

Matthew Henry on Jonah 1
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Jonah 1
The Church Fathers on Jonah 1

Jonah 1

Jonah Chapter 1
1

1Now the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah.

4But Jehovah sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

5Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god; and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it unto them. But Jonah was gone down into the innermost parts of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

6So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

7And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

8Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; what is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

9And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear Jehovah, the God of heaven, who hath made the sea and the dry land.

10Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, What is this that thou hast done? For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Jehovah, because he had told them.

11Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea grew more and more tempestuous.

12And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. 13Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land; but they could not: for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14Wherefore they cried unto Jehovah, and said, We beseech thee, O Jehovah, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for thou, O Jehovah, hast done as it pleased thee.

15So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging.

16Then the men feared Jehovah exceedingly; and they offered a sacrifice unto Jehovah, and made vows.

17And Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Chapter 2 →
What is Jonah 1 about?

Called by the LORD, around 760 BC, to cry against Nineveh, the great city of Assyria whose wickedness had risen up before Him, the prophet Jonah son of Amittai instead rose to flee toward Tarshish, going down to Joppa and boarding a ship to escape the presence of the LORD. God answered by hurling a great wind upon the sea, and as the pagan sailors cried each to his own god and cast their cargo overboard, Jonah lay asleep in the hold until the lot exposed him as the cause of the tempest. Confessing himself a Hebrew who feared the LORD, the God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land, he bade the mariners cast him into the waters, and when they at last did so the sea grew calm, and the men feared the LORD and offered sacrifice. God then appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, preserving him three days and three nights in its belly. From its opening scene the account sets the LORD's inescapable rule and His concern for the nations against the narrow, disobedient heart of His own prophet.